Shimla’s British era lamp posts to glow again

SHIMLA - Once upon a time they used to light up this erstwhile summer capital. Shimla’s British era lamp posts are set to be restored again, promising to lend it a fairytale glow by night.

The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board plans to refurbish over 200 lamp posts with financial assistance from corporate houses.

“Most of the lamp posts, which once used to light up the city, are either neglected or have been rendered useless. We have decided to restore them as they were during the British period,” electricity board senior engineer (Operations) Suneel Grover told IANS.

The lamp posts will be repainted in silver and black, as per their original colour contrast.

According to Edward J. Buck’s book “Shimla Past and Present”, the lamp posts were fed with electricity supplied by the first hydroelectric project of 1.75 MW set up by the British at Chaba, around 55 km from here. Interestingly, the Chaba project is still generating power. The British emblem-embedded lamp posts, cast out of wrought iron, used to support iron pole lights.

The lamp posts dot the Mall, once a ‘British only’ street meant for strolling, the Ridge, the pedestrian street between Chhota Shimla and Boileauganj, Raj Bhavan and the Viceregal Lodge, now housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies.

After renovating these lamp posts, they would be used for installing LED (light emitting diodes) street lights, Grover said.

“This is just an attempt to regain the city’s glorious past. Even the renovated lamp posts would help install new LED lights on them,” the official added.

The electricity board is installing energy-saving LED streetlights across the city these days.

Three corporate houses in the cement industry - ACC, Gujarat Ambuja and the Jaypee group - have volunteered to provide monetary help to the electricity board for the restoration.

Some of the monuments and relics made by the British are still in existence, but in bad shape.

Imperial hydrants, once used to extinguish fires and clean the Mall and the Ridge, have also been rendered useless. Even stately emblems, which once adorned the majestic banisters along the buildings housing government offices, and letter boxes in cylindrical and pillar shapes have simply disappeared.

More than 60 years after the British left, this Himalayan town still attracts their descendants who are eager to know their roots.

M.N. Sharma, who has been living in the city since 1960, said: “The city’s glorious past is now history. Most of the lamp posts are lying in a neglected state. The initiative to give them a new look is a right step to preserve a legacy. They will ignite many precious memories.”

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)